Importance of Reading Highlighted Across St. Thomas

Students from across St. Thomas were engaged in interactive reading sessions to improve their comprehension, critical-thinking, and literacy skills during Read Across Jamaica Day on Tuesday, May 5.

Teams from the municipal corporation and representatives from corporate entities like the National Water Commission (NWC) visited schools, sharing in storytelling and encouraging children to continue exploring the world through reading.

In Morant Bay, Mayor, Councillor Louis Chin, and Chief Executive Officer of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, Kevin McIndoe, read to students at Christ Chapel Basic School.

Mayor Chin told JIS News that the visit “formed part of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation’s commitment to promoting early-childhood literacy and strengthening ties with educational institutions across the parish”.

Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Louis Chin, reads to a group of students at the Christ Chapel Basic School on Read Across Jamaica Day on Tuesday (May 5).

Over at the White Horses and Yallahs Primary schools, teams from the NWC read exciting books to groups of students.

Acting Community Relations Officer-Eastern at the NWC, Marlene Davis, told JIS News that the company deems Read Across Jamaica Day an important initiative that highlights the importance of promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading among young people, thereby supporting their academic growth and overall development.

“It was a rewarding experience reading to the students. By participating in Read Across Jamaica Day, the NWC shows its commitment to community development by promoting early reading, which helps build students’ confidence, creativity and critical-thinking skills,” she said.

She noted that the NWC also had teams reading at other schools in St. Thomas as well as across Portland, St. Mary and the wider Jamaica.

At Trinityville Primary School, a team from the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) St. Thomas Regional Office read a selection of stories to the students, while promoting and endorsing the value of reading.

An annual observance, Read Across Jamaica Day 2026 was guided by the theme ‘Literacy Resilience: Foundation of Nation-Building’ and forms part of Education Week 2026 from May 3 to 9.